"The Lockdown Duel Part 1", known as "Feelings Hanging for the Cards: A Planned Lightning Deathmatch" in the Japanese version, is the ninth episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's anime. It first aired in Japan on May 28, 2008.

Mr. Armstrong harasses Yusei's friends in front of him and Yusei duels Armstrong with his freedom and the safety of his friends on the line. Armstrong has seized all of Yusei's Decks so Yusei duels him using cards given to him from his friends at the Facility.

Contents

Summary

The Facility

The part of the center Yusei is transfered to.

Yusei is moved to a new cell, where he meets his new cell mate, Alex. Alex tries to welcome Yusei by offering him the top bunk, while most newcomers get stuck with the bottom. Yusei ignores him and climbs into the top bunk, where he lies and reflects on what has happened over the last few days. Alex introduces himself and tells Yusei he saw his duel with Bolt Tanner. Yusei asks him to keep it down.

Tenzen Yanagi appears outside Yusei and Alex's cell and escorts him to Bolt. The three of them have all been escorted to this part of the center. Yanagi explains that this part of the place is for long term inmates. Bolt's worried about rumors he's heard of Mr. Armstrong flashing his power around.

Mr. Armstrong who is monitoring their conversation remembers Rex Goodwin telling him that Yusei is a Signer. Mr. Armstrong pointed out that their tests indicated otherwise. Nevertheless Rex Goodwin asked that he keep an eye on Yusei. Mr. Armstrong is outraged by this. He doesn't believe Yusei can be a Signer and vows to teach Yusei that trash will always be trash.

Back at the cell, Alex explains that they use this part of the center to make an example out of outsiders and that he's not going to be leaving any time soon. Alex was told he would leave soon over a year ago. He offers Yusei a chance to escape with him. By lifting up the matress on his bed, Alex reveals a hole, that took him six months to make. After passing through it Alex leads him to a place just below a well hole in Neo Domino City. Tomorrow his friends are coming to rescue him from up there and jam the alarm system connected to the criminal marks using the Net. Yusei requests that he let Yanagi and Bolt be included in this plan. Alex approves sayng that they must do this at eight o' clock tomorrow.

Alex shows Yusei the tunnel

The next morning Mr. Armstrong speaks with Bolt Tanner saying there's been reports of him of him concealing a dangerous weapon and pulls a knife out of Bolt's jacket. In the English version, he claims he found magazines in his bed, which are forbidden in the facility. He then takes him for interrogation. He asks him about Yusei, but Bolt refuses to sell out his friend. Bolt's wailing is heard throughout the long term section of the center as Mr. Armstrong continues to torture him.

The two guards drag Bolt to the center of the long term section, for everyone to see him. Mr. Armstrong announces that Bolt has committed a serious crime and everyone is to take responsibility for it. All their sentences are to be extended by a year and they are not allowed to leave their cells. The inmates begin to complain. Mr. Armstrong tells them to shut up. The world doesn't need any single one of them. Their kind doesn't have freedom rights. All they have is the misery to live in the shadows, he says. "If anyone has any complaints, speak up". Yusei interrupts him saying that no one is this world is unneeded. He claims Tanner is innocent and a genuine duelist. Mr. Armstrong points out that he, himself, is also a duelist and asks Yusei if that means Bolt is genuine and he is a fake. Mr, Armstrong proposes a Duel; If Yusei wins he'll forget Bolt Tanner's crime and won't lengthen Yusei's sentence, but if he wins... Yusei finishes his sentence saying that only he would be put in lockdown. Mr. Armstrong agrees and sets the duel for tomorrow at half past eight. Yusei says that's fine. Alex begins to tell Yusei that if he does that, but he's interrupted by Yanagi screaming as the guards drag him to Mr. Armstrong after finding he has cards. Yanagi pleas with them not to take his cards but Mr. Armstrong punches him away and confiscates his Deck.

Tanner and Yanagi are tossed into a cell. Yusei rushes to them and is followed by many other inmates. Tanner has also had his Deck confiscated. Alex tells Yusei that Mr. Armstrong has suckered him; without a Deck, Yusei will be little more than a joke. He requests that the two of them just escape. Yanagi and Bolt Tanner will be unable to come in their condition. Yusei declines. Alex is astonished and says that no one in the center has honor. Yusei simply says, "If they duel me, they're my friend. If I were to leave without my friends, I wouldn't truly be free." Alex gets annoyed and tells Yusei not to act tough, without a Deck. He then runs off saying "Do whatever you want then, freaking hell." The other inmates confront Yusei telling that he's really went and done it now and they need a little chat.

The next morning at 8:30, the guards escort Yusei to Mr. Armstrong, who thinks Yusei has no Deck, allowing him to win by default. But Yusei shows him he has a Deck. Mr. Armstrong, in shock, asks how he got that. Yusei says that Mr. Armstrong doesn't understand the care a duelist can have for a card as he reflects on last night, when the other inmates spoke with him. They each gave him cards important to them for Yusei to use against Mr. Armstrong.

Yusei is given a Duel Disk. Both players have their Duel Disks chained to the ground. As they duel, individual inmates light up, when Yusei plays a card they gave to him. Yusei receives an electric shock whenever his Life Points take damage. Mr. Armstrong explains that both players are subjected to a shock when they take damage and it is unlikely that the loser will survive. Only a small current passed through Mr. Armstrong when he took damage. Mr. Armstrong claimed that his is out of order. The inmates boo and accuse Mr. Armstrong of setting that up.

Differences in adaptations

In the Japanese version, Takasu (Armstrong) and his guards beat up Himuro (Bolt Tanner) for having a knife. This was cut out in the English version and Tanner was instead blamed for having smuggled magazines in his cell. Also, in the dub, Armstrong threatened to put all the prisoners in permanent lockdown, unless Tanner's accomplice confessed.

In the original, Yusei said he will be at Armstrong's mercy for the rest of his life if Armstrong wins. In the dub Yusei says nobody but himself will be in lockdown if Armstrong wins.

In the Japanese version, Takasu (Armstrong) was not in a hurry to watch soap operas.

In the dub, Yusei stated that Armstrong was abusing his authority as a security chief.

In the Japanese version, Takasu knocks out Yanagi for having cards in the Facility. This was cut out in the English version.

Errors

In both versions, Yusei is shown to have two "Nightmare's Steelcage" cards in his hand. Although Yusei uses one "Nightmare's Steelcage" in the next episode, the second "Nightmare's Steelcage" is never shown in Yusei's hand and instead we see that it was replaced with a Trap Card (possibly "Jar of Greed" or "Dust Tornado").

Mr. Armstrong appeared to have three "Iron Chain Snakes" in his hand (there were two already in hand and he drew another on his second Draw Phase which he then played). However in the next episode, this "Iron Chain Snake" is never shown and appeared to be replaced with either "Pot of Avarice" or "Reload".